Police Threatened This Couple With A $750,000 Fine For Trying To Find Their Missing Dog

They just want Ollie back.

Roger and Annemarie Horowitz lost their pup, Ollie, on March 30 after a backfiring car scared him away during a walk. The couple was devastated to watch their recently adopted friend, who was allegedly abused by prior owners, run off, so they hung signs around their Washington, DC, neighborhood urging residents to return their pooch if they spotted him. A few days later, police called the Horowitzes not with news of their dog's whereabouts but rather a warning: If they didn't remove their fliers, they would face a $750,000 fine.

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They unknowingly broke a law that prohibits owners from hanging missing pet fliers. But the couple told The Blaze that when they filed a missing dog report police encouraged them to post the signs, so they were shocked to find out that they were actually required to remove them. Roger and Annemarie weren't the only ones who hung them, so taking them all down has been difficult. "He told me that regardless if we put up the fliers, or if other people put them up, we had made the original flier that had my phone number," Horowitz said.

Since they can't find Ollie the old-fashioned way, they have created a social media campaign called #FindOllie. They told WRC-TV that they are hoping the city changes the law—and that they bring home Ollie quickly.

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